Home Innovation Research Labs - Formerly NAHB Research Center
  • Blog
  • News and Events
  • Bookstore
  • Contact Us
  • SERVICES
    Market Research 
    • Market Demand Data
    • Survey Panel of Construction Pros
    • Survey Research
    • Focus Groups & Qualitative
    • Focus Groups at IBS
    • New Product Development & Life Cycle Management
    • Observational & Ethnographic
    • Advertising Research
    • Decision Maker Research
    Building Science 
    • New Technology Assessment
    • Energy Efficiency Optimization
    • Method Development
    • Code Approval
    Product Testing 
    • Structural
    • Material Properties
    • Durability & Weather Resistance
    • Thermal
    • Moisture
    • Custom Product Testing & Certification
    • Consulting Services
    • Inspection Agency
    Certification 
    • Green Homes & Development
    • ENERGY STAR Certification
    • Water Efficiency Certifications
    • Accessibility
    • Engineered Structural Wood
    • Insulation
    • Plumbing
    • Solid Surface Materials
    • Green Certified Products
    • Lab Certified Products
    Standards 
    • Standards Development Procedures
    • American National Standards
    Government 
    • Home Building Innovation
    • Natural Disaster Assistance
    • Condition Assessments
    • Custom Consulting and Services
  • SOLUTIONS
    • Builders & Remodelers
    • Manufacturers
    • Trade and Professional Associations
    • Government
    • Success Stories
    • Our Clients
  • TRENDS & REPORTS
    dropdown-trends Trends

    Leading the way with innovative, fresh ideas for builders and manufacturers.

    Learn More

    dropdown-data Data

    Providing materials insight through custom data and reports.

    Learn More

    dropdown-report Reports

    Setting the standard in the building industry through cutting edge research.

    Learn More

  • ABOUT
    • Message from the President
    • Mission and History
    • News and Events
    • Our Team
    • Blog
    • Careers
    • Bookstore
    • Contact Us
  • OUR LABS
    • Testing Equipment & Capabilities
    • Our ISO Accreditations
    • Certified Products
    • Market Research Facility
    • Meeting and Concierge Services
  • Home
  • Trends and Reports
  • Trends
  • Why Not Offsite?
Learn How We Can Help (800) 638-8556
Trends

Survey reveals some reasons builders resist offsite options.

  • Print
  • Share
Browse
  • Categories
    • Energy Efficiency (1)
    • Green Building (7)
    • High-Performance Homes (2)
    • Moisture Managment (2)
    • Quality Assurance (2)
  • Tags
    • Affordable Homes, Air Sealing Design, Building Codes, Building Practices, Building Products, Data and Trends, Energy Performance, Green Building, Homebuyer Preferences, Insulation, Marketing, Product Testing, Roofing, Solar Energy, Survey Research
Archive
  • 2023
  • 2022
    • October (1)
  • 2021
    • January (2)
    • February (2)
    • April (3)
    • May (1)
    • June (1)
    • July (1)
    • August (1)
    • September (1)
  • 2020
    • February (1)
    • March (1)
    • July (1)
    • October (2)
    • November (1)
  • 2019
    • March (1)
    • April (2)
    • May (2)
    • June (2)
    • July (3)
    • October (2)
  • 2018
    • January (1)
    • February (3)
    • March (1)
    • April (2)
    • May (2)
    • June (4)
    • August (3)
    • September (2)
    • October (3)
    • November (1)
    • December (2)
  • 2017
    • February (1)
    • April (1)
    • May (2)
    • June (2)
    • July (1)
    • August (2)
  • 2016
    • February (1)
    • May (2)
    • July (1)
    • September (1)
    • November (1)
  • 2015
  • 2014
    • March (2)
    • July (1)
    • September (1)
  • 2013
    • January (1)
    • February (1)
    • March (1)
    • April (1)
    • May (1)
    • June (1)
  • 2012
    • August (1)
    • September (1)
    • October (1)
    • November (1)
    • December (1)
September 9, 2021

Why Not Offsite?

WHY SOME BUILDERS RESIST ADOPTING OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES

I’m often asked why offsite home construction practices, which have been available for half a century or longer, should be expected to gain traction now. Granted, offsite solutions are not right for every project or every builder, but the industry environment seems to be evolving to favor many of these — primarily in light of the current labor and materials supply issues. Additionally, the predominant Millennial homebuying market attaches less negative stigma to factory-built or engineered housing solutions. In fact, Millennials tend to see factory-produced housing as “smarter” and more technologically advanced than traditional methods. So what’s continuing to keep builders from adopting offsite practices? We asked participants in a July 2021 builder survey the following question:

“What are the top three reasons your company does not adopt, or more fully adopt offsite construction methods such as wall panels or modular homes?” 

Top Reasons for Not Adopting Offsite Housing Solutions
Source: Home Innovation Research Labs July 2021 survey of builders

About half the builders surveyed said there is no compelling reason to adopt offsite practices/products because site building works fine for them. However, I suspect that since July, the number of builders believing that “site building works fine” has fallen and may continue to fall as labor and materials supply issues continue to grow throughout the industry. 

In the #2 spot, nearly half the respondents said that the inability to make last-minute homeowner changes in layout or design keeps them from “going offsite.” Changes always become more costly after construction is completed, but builders tell us that last-minute changes in houses built using offsite techniques can negate any gains in efficiency that they provide. 

About a third of respondents said their biggest barrier is not having a reliable local supplier — a situation that can only be addressed by increased investment in capacity in this sector. Another quarter said they didn’t think their buyers would accept offsite practices – probably due to “traditional” buyer opinions that prefab equaled low quality; but, as mentioned earlier, today’s younger buyers are less likely to subscribe to that notion. 

Nearly a quarter of respondents hesitate to adopt offsite because they “don’t want to become dependent upon a single supplier.” A builder’s conversion to an offsite method of building requires fundamental changes in how they operate; some don’t yet trust a single supplier for an offsite solution, particularly as lead times for many suppliers have lengthened dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic. Site building using many varied materials and labor inputs is a risk mitigation strategy for many builders – if any single input cannot be supplied in a timely fashion, a substitute can be located relatively quickly.  

This is just a snapshot of the input provided by the builders we surveyed. We have deeper analysis of this survey, as well as comparisons of it to the similar ones we fielded the previous two years. Want to find out more about how this might impact your market strategy? Get in touch. 

Back to Top

Filed Under:
Tagged:
Data and Trends, Homebuyer Preferences, Building Products, Marketing, Survey Research
RELATED POSTS
Survey Says: Accelerating Builder Interest in Modular Home
A (How It’s) Heated Debate: Gas or Electric? 2021 Update
Changing Building Materials Preferences in the Post-COVID Housing Market
On Point: New Builder Practices Survey Confirms Predicted Growth in Off-Site Construction
2020 Hindsight: 2021 Builder Practices Reports Now Available
OUR CLIENTS
U.S. Department of the Army Forest Products Laboratory Georgia-Pacific Wood Products Homes by Dickserson Huber Engineered Woods
CONNECT WITH US
Follow Us
Twitter YouTube RSS
Sign up for email updates

Home Builders & Contractors

  • Energy Efficiency Optimization
  • Focus Groups and Qualitative Research
  • Green Homes
  • Decision Maker Research
  • Market Research
  • Trends and Reports

Manufacturers

  • Building Science
  • Certification
  • Focus Groups and Qualitative Research
  • Market Research
  • New Technology Assessment
  • New Product Development and Life Cycle Management
  • Product Testing
  • Standards Development

Government

  • Building Science
  • Condition Assessments
  • Custom Consulting and Services
  • Home Building Innovation
  • Market Research
  • Natural Disaster Assistance
  • Standards Development

Home Innovation Research Labs is an independent subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Copyright © 2023 All Right Reserved

  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap